List of Schools Offering Catering Programs

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The culinary world has expanded over the past several years to include caterers, food truck owners, and more as legitimate career options. In fact, for those interested in a less traditional culinary career such as catering, the possibilities are endless. However, it can be a little challenging to find a school that offers a quality-catering program. For that reason, the following list of schools offering reputable catering programs has been assembled.

Catering Schools

•Florida Technical College (FL)
•Culinary Institute of VA (VA)
•Virginia College (VA & AL)
•Pittsburgh Technical Institute (PA)
•Dorsey Schools (MI)
•Keiser University Center for Culinary Arts (FL)
•Auguste Escoffier Schools of Culinary Arts (TX)
•Platt College Oklahoma (OK)
•Star Career Academy (PA)
•Bryant and Stratton College (NY)
•Branford Hall Career Institute (MA)
•City College of San Francisco (CA)
•Fresno City College (CA)

For more information on the schools listed above, please visit Culinary-Careers.org.

How to Choose the Right School

Choosing the right catering school can be tricky. Trying to find a good school without outrageous tuition costs can take a little time and research. Other factors also come into play, such as student population and teacher/student ratio. For example, should a catering student choose to attend Fresno City College in California, he or she will be amongst a student population of 24,903 bodies at this 4-year college. This means less one-on-one interaction time between student and professor, which is definitely something to consider.

Why Choose Catering as a Career?

Catering offers independence and flexibility, which is different from most culinary careers. For instance, chefs are asked to work long, demanding hours every week with little flexibility of schedule. Caterers, on the other hand, work varying hours for special events like weddings and other formal parties. Their schedule is rarely set in stone and most caterers are their own boss, which can be a nice change from the close scrutiny a chef is subjected to during his or her time spent working in a kitchen.

Summary

Catering schools are a great place to learn the basics of what it takes to be successful as a caterer. Students learn things like the fundamentals of classical cooking techniques, menu development and pricing, sanitation and safety, nutrition, catering laws, and event management. Once a caterer has earned either a 2-yr or 4-yr degree in catering and been subjected to the courses mentioned above, he or she is ready to embark on a journey into the challenging world of catering for a living.

It is not easy to earn a living as a caterer. Competition is fierce and economic factors along with other unforeseen complications can greatly affect a caterer’s ability to bring in clients and earn money. However, the benefits of working independently and with flexibility far outweigh the complications of working in such a challenging career. Caterers are the new-breed of culinary artists, finding a way to make a mark in the industry without following the traditional paths of most chefs.